In February 2004,
the Secretary of Defense issued the criteria to be used in
the BRAC process, which was subsequently approved by Congress.
The 2005 round of closures will emphasize military
value, as described in the first four criteria, above
other concerns. The selection criteria are:
Military Value:
- The current and future mission requirements and the impact
on operational readiness of the total force of the Department
of Defense, including the impact on joint warfighting, training,
readiness, and research, development, test, and evaluation
of weapons systems and equipment.
- The availability and condition of land, facilities, infrastructure,
and associated air and water space (including preservation
of training areas suitable for maneuver by ground, naval,
or air forces throughout a diversity of climate and terrain
areas, the preservation of testing ranges able to accommodate
current or future military weapons systems and equipment,
and the preservation of staging areas for the use of the
Armed Forces in homeland defense missions) at both existing
and potential receiving locations.
- The ability to accommodate contingency, mobilization,
and future total force requirements at both existing and
potential receiving locations to support operations, training,
maintenance, and repair.
- Preservation of land, air, and water space, facilities,
and infrastructure necessary to support training and operations
of military forces determined to be surge requirements by
the Secretary of Defense, as required by section 2822 of
the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2004
(Public Law 108-136; 117 Stat. 1726).
Other considerations:
- The extent and timing of potential costs and savings of
base realignment and closure actions on the entire Federal
budget, as well as the Department of Defense, including
the number of years, beginning with the date of completion
of the closure or realignment, for the savings to exceed
the costs. Costs shall include those costs related to potential
environmental restoration, waste management, and environmental
compliance activities.
- The economic impact on existing communities in the vicinity
of military installations.
- The ability of the infrastructure of both existing and
potential receiving communities to support forces, missions,
and personnel, including quality of living standards for
members of the Armed Forces and their dependents.
- The environmental impact on receiving locations.
In October 2004, DoD released a policy memo that provides
additional guidance on the criteria it will use when it determines
what bases to close or realign in 2005. The memo states that
the most appropriate way to evaluate military value is to
exercise "military judgment" by using the following
principles:
- Recruit and Train: DoD must attract,
develop, and retain active, reserve, civilian, and contractor
personnel who are highly skilled and educated and have access
to effective, diverse, and sustainable training in order
to ensure current and future readiness, to support advances
in technology, and to respond to anticipated developments
in joint and service doctrine tactics.
- Quality of Life: DoD must provide a quality
of life, including quality of workplace that supports recruitment,
learning, and training, and enhances retention.
- Organize: DoD needs force structure sized,
composed, and located to match the demands of the National
Military Strategy.
- Equip: DoD needs research, development,
acquisition, test, and evaluation capabilities that efficiently
and effectively place superior technology in the hands of
the warfighter.
- Supply, Service, and Maintain: DoD needs
access to logistical and industrial infrastructure capabilities.
- Deploy & Employ (Operational): DoD
needs secure installations that are optimally located for
mission accomplishment, that support power projection, rapid
deployable capabilities, and expeditionary force needs for
reachback capability and that sustain the capability to
mobilize and surge.
- Intelligence: DoD needs intelligence
capabilities to support the National Military Strategy.
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